The deal adds late-stage sevasemten and Edgewise Therapeutics expertise to Servier’s rare neurology pipeline, with an upfront payment of $1.55 billion and up to $1.1 billion in milestones.
Servier said it has completed the acquisition of the muscular dystrophy business of Edgewise Therapeutics Inc. for up to $2.65 billion after regulatory clearance and customary closing conditions. The transaction includes a $1.55 billion upfront payment and as much as $1.1 billion tied to regulatory and commercial milestones. The deal centers on sevasemten, an orally administered investigational therapy that is being studied in a pivotal cohort in Becker muscular dystrophy and in phase 2 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, strengthening Servier’s stated push into rare neurology. The company said the acquisition also brings in Edgewise Therapeutics’ specialized team and expertise to help advance the program. Servier described sevasemten as a potential first-in-class fast skeletal myosin inhibitor (drug targeting muscle contraction proteins) designed to protect unstable muscle from contraction-induced damage. Becker muscular dystrophy is a rare X-linked genetic disorder with no approved treatment, while Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a more severe degenerative muscle disorder that typically begins at birth and is associated with loss of walking ability by the early teens.